


Unfair

by IchiiNiiSan



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: 2/2, Based on a Tumblr Post, Established Relationship, Implied Relationships, M/M, characters might be OOC, yes I'm still not over 2/2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-08
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-14 19:35:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,446
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29921802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IchiiNiiSan/pseuds/IchiiNiiSan
Summary: The world is fucking unfair. Goro knows that.Just how unfair can the world be?
Relationships: Akechi Goro/Kurusu Akira, Akechi Goro/Persona 5 Protagonist
Comments: 11
Kudos: 59





	Unfair

**Author's Note:**

> Based on this prompt right [here](https://unfunny-quips.tumblr.com/post/644948018381127680/persona-5-royal-akeshu-auprompt-thing-akechi)
> 
> I dunno if you guys need it but bring tissues?

The reason why he’s on standby outside of LeBlanc, hidden in the shadows, is just to make sure Akira makes the right choice, that’s the only reason why he’s there in the bitter cold, waiting and listening.

Goro has a feeling Maruki would pull out cards after cards of temptation to the soft hearted, pathetic leader, reasons and pathetic reasons to stay in the fucked up reality of false happiness.

He has a feeling his death would be one of those cards.

Honestly it’s really a pathetic excuse, he had chosen his own path, he  _ chose _ to stay on the other side of the barricade, to ensure that Joker would serve justice to the asshole he will never call his father.  _ Stupid soft hearted Akira Kurusu. _

They started with small talk, a useless thing, prolonging the inevitable talk that’s going to happen tonight and only tonight, Goro couldn’t help but scoff at it. It’s Maruki looking for a way to convince Akira to stay, he’s really sure now, asking about Sumire and his rag-tag team.

_ What good is it to stay in a place where your happiness is controlled? What makes that faux God so sure that the happiness he thinks is the happiness of all? What makes him so  _ sure _ that he would want to stay in this fucked up reality even if Akira will take the deal? _

Goro barely managed to catch Maruki’s comment, of addressing both  _ him _ and Akira, knowing full well he has been caught.

“Do you two gentlemen have any doubts?” the annoying voice of the sad excuse of a therapist called out, “you’re here aren’t you, Akechi-kun?”

Goro doesn’t hesitate, his hand didn’t hover over the knob for a second before the ringing of the doorbell announced his enter, the warmth of LeBlanc not easing his nerves this time.

The two thieves seemed surprised he’s there, he’s not surprised at all at the reaction, he doesn’t acknowledge Maruki catching him, Goro keeps his face passive.

“It was a hunch, didn’t really expect you to be here at all!” Maruki laughed off, making the brunette frown.

_ ‘Hunch’ my ass.  _ Goro knows he’s bullshitting it.

“This issue doesn’t only affect you Kurusu-kun.” Maruki’s gaze left Akira, going to Goro, “Akechi-kun, this especially involves you.”

_ He fucking knew it. He motherfucking knew it. _

Anger seeps into his veins but he hopes it doesn’t show, looking away guiltily.

Maruki drones on about their relationship (something he doesn’t want to dwell on especially  _ right now _ ), their atypical relationship, the rivalry of a Phantom Thief and a Detective, a relationship that typically harbors more hatred or ill will than the friendly rivalry they had.

A question of was all of it genuine or just another mask of each other ( ~~ he knows too well that all is genuine, no mask in sight ~~ ).

Goro fully expects the therapist to go into Shido’s palace, to  _ pity _ him of his death from the hands of Shido’s cognition of him, to play the hand of dangling his death to the leader of the Phantom Thieves.

However… He didn’t expect…

“That’s why I found it so tragic when I learned what happened when the skies turned red.”

Goro perked up on that. When the skies turned  _ red _ ?

“... What are you talking about?” he asked, he doesn’t know what the other meant, and by how Akira is looking away he knows it’s something important.

Maruki looked at him expectantly, it creeped Goro out.

“Say, Akechi-kun…” he doesn’t like the tone, he doesn’t like the implications he’s getting, he doesn’t like that he is completely blind to what’s going to happen next, “didn’t you regret how things ended up with the two of you?”

“What the fuck are you droning on and on about?” he’s getting impatient, angry,  ~~ scared ~~ , “tell me what the fuck is going on.”

Goro looks at Akira, grey eyes avoids both his and Morgana’s gazes.

“Akechi-kun you didn’t know?” it was like common- _ fucking _ -knowledge, how Maruki is addressing the thing that  _ he does not know _ , “Kurusu-kun… he…”

A throb of pain appeared on Goro’s head, something small yet also powerful.

In the haze of his memory Goro can faintly remember exiting the Metaverse with the help of Loki, a bullet meant for his heart or his head only hitting his shoulder, managing to get to his apartment in somewhat one piece before blacking out completely.

He didn’t die by the hands of Shido’s cognition of him, he had a terrible shot.

“How did this correlate to me?” Goro growls out, his hand clenching and unclenching.

His mind is running around in many hypotheses of how it does, why it does. His stomach does not plunge deeper.

“Akechi-kun,” Maruki looked away, a sad look on his face that he doesn’t need, “Kurusu-kun is dying.”

Goro’s mind blanked. Akira’s…  _ what _ ?

“Excuse me?” Goro spat out.

Akira Kurusu? Savior of the World?  _ Dying _ ?

“I don’t know why, but he is dying. Isn’t that right, Kurusu-kun?” all eyes are on Akira, and he did nothing to either confirm or deny it.

But the answer rings clear for Goro.

_ Those times where we had to take a break a bit longer, Akira’s shortness of breath after one easy battle, the slight shaking of his body when he summons a persona. This  _ stupid _ idiot! _

“That’s why I created a reality where you two could have a fresh start, together.”

Leather creases as his hands balls up into a fist.  _ What  _ new _ start? _ A new start filled with… lies?! A subjective happiness that neither would know if they’ll still be the same as they were before any of this happened? (was there anything that is  _ Goro Akechi _ in his past, something not filled with hatred and seeking revenge?). 

A world where Akira is not dying from…  _ something _ , a world where it’s not of their own free will.

“So you’re holding him hostage, isn’t it?” Goro spat out, moving to Akira’s side while glaring at Maruki.

“I didn’t intend it to be that way, I--”

“You  _ what? _ Tell  _ me _ that he’s dying and to keep him alive we must stay?  _ Fuck off _ !”

“Akechi-kun--”

“Don’t fucking  _ Akechi-kun _ me you asshole!”

He’s seething in anger, how  _ dare  _ he…!

A warm hand slips onto his own, squeezing gently as if it’ll calm him down ( ~~ and it did ~~ ).

“I just want you all to accept this reality and move on with your lives.”

“ _ Bullshit! _ I will never accept this reality, this will not change our decision.”

To be controlled yet again, to be someone’s plaything. He doesn’t want that life, he doesn’t want that life on  _ Akira _ of all people.

“I thought I could dissuade you Akechi-kun, but I guess I failed.” Maruki sighed, looking remorseful as he looked at Akira, “you were the guiding light to my research. You showed me the way so I could make my dream into reality. I have nothing but gratitude for you-- not a single ounce of ill will. That’s why I wanted you of all people to understand…”

Goro would have punched Maruki if it weren’t for the hand that is still on his, holding on tightly (was it him or was it Akira holding tight?).

“I guess there’s no point in dwelling here, but I will still give you a choice.” Maruki says this facing Goro, giving him the reigns for the decision.

_ He’ll… He’ll not… _

“I’ll be waiting in the Palace tomorrow, as promised. If you haven’t changed your mind by then, we’ll meet there, but if you don’t show I’ll take that to mean you’ve accepted my reality.”

“We’ll meet you there,” Goro willed his voice not to waver.

He nudged at Akira to give Maruki the calling card, the stock paper flopping just in front of the male. Maruki nodded, taking the card and gave a brief read.

“I’ve heard your calling. See you.”

With that Maruki left LeBlanc, the cold seeping in Goro’s skin.

_ He… _

“... Morgana, can you leave us?” Akira asks in a soft voice, still not looking at them.

“Akira…” the cat meowed, just as soft, before nodding solemnly, hopping off the bench and leaving without another word.

The only ones in the cafe are him and Akira, in tense silence still hand in hand, still unknown who is holding on tightly.

The revelation left Goro puzzled, emotions he had sure he buried resurfacing. One by one.

“... Akechi…”

“You’re never going to tell me, didn’t you.” These words as irate as they were delivered his words held a small weakness, a break in the middle, “how come  _ you’re _ the one dying, not me.”

He can feel Akira shuffle to stand up, still not letting go of his hand, he knows he’s looking at him now but he can’t, “Akechi…”

“What happened?” Goro demanded, gritting his teeth, “why are you dying,  _ again _ ?”

There was a pause, silence, just the sounds of their breathing, the heater of the cafe, and the ticking clock. Each  _ tick _ grates on his nerves, every  _ tock  _ adds a layer of fear in his being.

“Answer me--!”

“Right after…” the hand on his tightens, at the back of Goro’s mind he worries if blood circulation will be cut off at this point, “right after we stole Shido’s heart, the masses were indifferent. They still supported Shido, and we knew something was wrong. Of course, where else could we know what’s wrong with the masses than Mementos, right? We went down, down to the deepest level, there…”

“Get to the point  _ Kurusu _ .”

“... Did you know we were just pieces of a game to a man-made God?”

Goro looked at Akira with disbelief. Another God? Really? Another unknown being toying with him? With  _ them _ ?

“To decide the fate of the world, that man-made God, Yaldabaoth, chose two people with the potential and pitted them against each other. There’s me, who would stand up against the masses’ distortion. And there’s you, who incited the masses’ distortion.”

It irked Goro, being a piece in a chess board controlled by a God.  _ All this time… still a plaything. _

“He didn’t follow the rules, so we had to stop him.” The pieces are aligning and Akira looks away once more.

“What was the price?” Goro looked at the black haired male, who is biting at his lips, looking sad, regretful, yet resigned.

His stomach didn’t drop, nor his heart didn’t shatter.

“The price for subduing a God is too much for one person to survive.”

“... So that’s it… You have gone and died because you have your duty.”

“It was that or let the masses be controlled by a benevolent God.”

“Yet no one shared that burden with you?”

“No one could, it… it had to be me.”

_ It had to be me. It had to be him. It had to be fucking him. _

Goro can feel laughter bubbling up his throat, his shoulder shaking. It sounded like a bad joke, a really, really bad joke. Maybe it is a bad joke, and it’s just another ploy for Maruki to get them to accept this fucked up reality.

He can’t help it, he chuckles, he lets out small puffs of hysteria.

“Akechi… Can… Can we…” … what…? Oh no. No, is Akira planning on  _ that…? _

“Are you  _ seriously _ thinking of accepting this reality, Kurusu?” Goro spat out, pushing Akira a few feet away, anger dripping from his voice.

His vision was blurry, it must be the dust in the room. He’s shaking, it must be from the cold.

“We’re stopping Maruki, even if  _ your _ life's on the line my answer does not change.”

“No Akechi, I--”

“Accepting that deal will demean all that we fought for, all that you  _ died _ for!”

“Akechi listen--!”

“Why did it have to be you, you stupid, self-sacrificial, chosen one  _ ass _ ?!  _ Why did it have to be you when it could’ve been me?! _ ”

“ **GORO** !”

Arms wrapped around him and he trashed, he trashed and screamed and scratched, yelling at Akira, yelling at himself, yelling at the world.

_ It’s so fucking unfair that the hero of the story gets the bad ending. _

Goro knows he’s not the hero of this story, he never was the hero, he had become the villain, a righthandman for the mastermind, a fragile justice that he couldn’t even enact to the one who needed it the most, to the one he had built up his whole life for.  _ He _ should be the one getting the bad end, he should be the one who is dying!

It. Wasn’t. Fucking. Fair.

“I know it wasn’t fair.”

“I put that barrier between us so you could live…!”  _ So you would be safe. _

“I know…”

“But you went up and sacrificed yourself!”  _ Like the goddamn hero you are. _

“I know…”

“I wanted you to live…”  _ Live happily and with the happiness you deserve. _

“And… I wanted you to live too…”

Goro never cries,  _ hasn’t cried _ , he hasn’t cried ever since his mother died, he hasn’t cried when he thought Akira died. He never cries.

But that is a lie.

In the comfort of Akira’s arms Goro  _ wails _ , he clings to Akira like he’ll vanish soon (and it will, it is).

Akira Kurusu, gorgeous, amazing, infuriatingly  _ nice with a heart of gold _ . He didn’t deserve this ending, he didn’t deserve to slowly die because he had sacrificed all his being to defeat a God that wanted to rule the world. Now he has to sacrifice again for the sake of truth, for their real reality.

_ They can’t stay there. _

“I don’t want you to go…” Goro murmured, soft and vulnerable, his hands taking hold of Akira’s blazer tightly, “I want you to live… but…”

“I know…” Akira sighed, leaning towards Goro, shielding him from the cold, “we can’t stay.”

“B-But you…” red eyes met grey, both sad, shiny with tears yet the other had happiness dancing around their eyes.

“You should’ve let me finish my sentence before,” gentle, soft hands cradled his face, wiping off tear tracks he didn’t notice, “I’m not accepting Maruki’s reality too, I won’t accept it. Like you said it’ll demean what we had worked for. I just want to spend this night with you, if that’s okay.”

It’ll be a night of farewell, a last night with Akira. He’ll…

He’ll indulge, for one last time.

“A-Alright…”

Looking up at Akira has always been a treat, watching him smile so brightly it outshone the sun. 

“After this, promise me something this time.”

“What is it?”

“Live, live for me, okay?”

That...

“You… You ass… You… Akira, you were my reason to live…”

“And you are the reason how I stayed sane these whole time.”

“...”

“... Goro?”

“... Watch over me… always… Akira…”

“... I will. Always.”

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry (not sorry) but I mean... I made myself cry too while writing this--  
> To be quite honest I'm not too proud of the ending but at the same time it fit for me--
> 
> Thank you for reading! Kudos and comments are appreciated!  
> I have a twitter! Feel free to talk with me! [@IchiiNiiSan](https://twitter.com/IchiiNiiSan)


End file.
